It's Been a Good Life, Dad!-My Son's Struggle with Cystic Fibrosis portrays a young man-Kevin Hendon-who lived his eighteen years with cystic fibrosis ever present. The author, Jerry E. Hendon, tells the story of his son's life in the first part of this biography. He presents the disease's harsh truths and the severe limits-and of medicine's ability to respond to the disease's challenges. With equal clarity, though, he reveals the energy and determination his son showed in the face of his diagnosis.
In the second part of It's Been a Good Life, Dad!, Kevin's poetry takes center stage. He shares his feelings of isolation and frustration. He ruminates on love, lust, and romance. He expresses his observations about friends and school. He reflects on the place of religion and family in his life.
The final two sections of the book sample the recollections of people who knew Kevin and share the abiding influences of Kevin's spirit in the wider community of those his life has touched.
Whether you have cystic fibrosis or know someone who lives with this disease, you might find yourself turning the pages of this portrayal and feeling the temptation to echo the author's despair when he said, "What a miserable life!" But in the face of this disease and in response to such tugs to give in to despair, Kevin's responds, "Oh, no. It's been a good life .... It's been a good life."